//

gear giveaway

Author Archive

Review: Fridgebuzzz’s Land of the Rising Fuzzz

’60’s fuzz pedals are some of the most collected and sought after guitar effects. Due to their use on seminal recordings, these pedals continue to sell for exorbitant prices and inspire numerous reissues and sound-a-likes. Keith Richards signature snarl on “Satisfaction” using a Maestro Fuzz-Tone or Jimi Hendrix’s soaring solos with the Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face are sonic touchstones which rock guitarists continue to emulate. Lesser known, but still highly coveted, is the Shin-Ei Companion Fuzz. Sharper and harsher than its U.S and British counterparts, this Japanese fuzz pedal didn’t rise to its collectible status until the 1980’s when The Jesus and Mary Chain and other neo-psychedelic bands re-appropriated the sound. Fridgebuzzz Electronics’ Land of the Rising Fuzzz is a compact and affordable version of the obscure effect, complete with True-Bypass switching for tone aficionados. It’s an all analog, simply designed fuzz effect for those looking to recreate the Shin-Ei’s biting tone. If you’re looking for a sizzling shoegaze sound or piercing lead tone, the Land Of The Rising Fuzzz is wonderfully effective. There’s no EQ boost, compression or shape modulation here – just a pure and effective fuzz. With three controls, Volume, Fuzz and Tone (high frequency roll off), […]... Click on the title for more

Review: Fridgebuzzz’s Land of the Rising Fuzzz

Recording Artist Feature: Hooray for Earth

Part of the uniqueness of “True Loves” - Brooklyn's Hooray for Earth debut album - lies in a certain kind of heavieness that’s intertwined with its pop buoyancy. The drums are massive and brooding (and were recorded on a rooftop) and the keyboards are thick and lush with extensive layering on every track. While the album does have extensive guitar work, most of it is reworked and chopped up to sound like keyboards. The album was also mixed by Chris Coady who is no stranger to cutting-edge sounds (Beach House, Delorean, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and TV On The Radio to name a few). We sent band leader Noel Heroux a few questions about the album's recording process. - Read the Q&A here.... Click on the title for more

Recording Artist Feature: Hooray for Earth

Pedal Review: TWA Triskelion TK-01

The TWA’s Triskelion TK-01 is a pedal named after an occult druidic sign. If that sounds very metal to you, you won’t be disappointed by the pedal’s equally aggressive hard rock tones. Cryptically described as a “harmonic energizer modulation” effect, the Triskelion operates more or less as a standard EQ boost/distortion pedal. Its sound is inspired by the Maestro Parametric Filter MPF, a rare Bob Moog-designed 70’s effect used by hard rock bands such as Rush and Queens of the Stone Age. It has a highly sculpted and severe tone, which – medieval iconography aside – has a distinctly modern appeal. The pedal has 3 control knobs: Energy and Variant Mass, which operate the EQ section and Amplitude which drives the distortion circuit. The Energy knob shapes the Q or severity of the parametric boost while Variant Mass sweeps the desired frequency. There is also a Boost button, which adds in subtle octave harmonics for a more shimmery tone. As stated before the Amplitude controls the amount of distortion, which goes from a fizzy medium overdrive to glass-shattering. If you’d rather just use the EQ by itself, the distortion can be bypassed by pressing the Engage button. Besides the standard […]... Click on the title for more

Pedal Review: TWA Triskelion TK-01

Secrets of Mixing: Reverb on slower songs

The sparse arrangements that fit slower songs provide mixing engineers the opportunity to create a perception of space through the use of reverb effects. Reverb, in a mix, allows “placement” of each instrument in a sonic space. But a “realistic” use of reverb is quite tricky to get right. Realistic reverb – counter-intuitively – is not really supposed to be heard (at least consciously), and since our ears enjoy hearing things we are aware of, it’s a common mistake to push it too high in the mix. Here are a few tricks you may find useful when using this effect: 1. Avoid reverbs with too many editable settings, the parameters you really need are just time (i.e. how long the reverb lasts), pre-delay (how long it will take before the reverb starts after the sound) and some kind of control on the EQ (hi and low pass filters). 2. Use different reverbs for different sources: shorter ones for percussive sounds, and longer ones with some pre-delay for vocal sounds – main vocals may even benefit from some slap back delay. 3. Always tame the high end of the reverb/delay you use for vocals using the low pass filter, so that […]... Click on the title for more

Secrets of Mixing: Reverb on slower songs

Review: T-Rex Yellow Drive

New from T-Rex Engineering, the Yellow Drive is a dual channel overdrive that covers a lot of territory. Both channels A and B are equipped with their own set of volume, gain and tone controls, and are voiced differently to access a wider range of tonal options. An A/B Select foot switch allows the operator to seamlessly switch between their rhythm, lead or clean sounds within one device with very little tap dancing; leaving the operator free to concentrate on their performance rather than their effects. Top mounted jacks are a welcomed addition here and keep things compact and organized – perfect for tight pedalboards and right angle connectors. The Yellow Drive provides clean, dare I say transparent gain. Where as most drive effects impart all sorts of eq boost or cut, the Yellow Drive stands clear of your tone and just provides the gain boost you want. Think of it like adding channels to your amp with “A” handling clean boost to medium drive, and “B” covering heavy crunch and lead settings. I noticed upon first use the foot switches on the Yellow Drive felt different than most other pedals. When stepped on they offer a lighter operation and feel, but I can’t help […]... Click on the title for more

Review: T-Rex Yellow Drive

Digitech Whammy DT review

Since 1991, the field of pitch-shifting effects has been dominated by the DigiTech Whammy; an effect which allows users to perform dive bombs and radical octave-shifts using digital pitch-manipulation rather than a guitar-mounted vibrato-bridge. But in the last decade or so, DigiTech’s Whammy has been given a run for its money by new comers in the pitch shifting market. While DigiTech’s recognizable brand and classic design could keep the pedal alive and well, the company is unsatisfied with a product that does not dominate its competition. The Whammy-DT is a product which addresses virtually every other feature of its competitors head on at a price point that gives it the clear edge. The Whammy-DT brings the classic effect up-to-date with a fantastic true bypass, the ability to control the unit via midi (with a Source Audio midi-HotHand, one could effectively have an invisible vibrato bridge!), and most importantly, polyphonic tuning. The DT stands for Drop Tune, and is marketed to go after precisely one competitor: Morpheus FX, whose new-kid-on-the-block Bomber pedal has become a big hit with heavy guitar players such as Brent Hinds of Mastodon. For the purposes of this review, I put the Whammy-DT head to head with […]... Click on the title for more

Digitech Whammy DT review

The Secrets of a perfect Surf Guitar Tone

Surf Rock experienced a Renaissance in the last few years, influencing a wave of new indie artists. The ultimate surf guitar tone has several elements: a guitar, the amplifier, reverb, tremolo, and vibrato, but the sound starts with the guitar itself. A Fender Stratocaster, Jaguar (pictured) or Jazzmaster would be my personal choice. One of the secrets to the tone are the single coil pickups. There’s quite a difference between the vintage ones and the new ones, the older ones sound more organic, with more of a bell tone, and more surf like. There’s also a difference in price, so you make do with what you can. I highly recommend a Fender amp to get the signature surf sound (which is a clean one), one with a spring reverb tank in it. A Fender Twin Reverb, Super Reverb, Princeton Reverb, Dual Showman Reverb, etc. – the key is reverb. An Ampeg Reverberocket (picture) would also sound great. For the best reverb tone, one can purchase a separate reverb unit. The very best is a vintage Fender reverb unit, which sits on top of the amp. These have the warmest and most organic sound. One can also use foot pedals for […]... Click on the title for more

The Secrets of a perfect Surf Guitar Tone

Recording Artist Feature: Yellow Ostrich

What's in a name? Don't ask me. There's no such thing as a yellow ostrich, but that doesn't stop Alex Schaaf from insisting it's alive anyway. And in songs like 'Whale' and 'In The Past I Was an Astronaut', Yellow Ostrich is making the abstract discernible, and getting a lot of attention for it. This guy raised enough money through his kickstarter two years back to self-release the outstanding album "The Mistress" last year, only to get picked up by Barsuk Records and have the album re-released this year. Things are moving fast! We asked Alex a few questsions about the recording process - read the interview here., Yellow Ostrich is making the abstract discernible, and getting a lot of attention for it. This guy raised enough money through his kickstarter two years back to self-release the outstanding album ... Click on the title for more

Recording Artist Feature: Yellow Ostrich

Rocktron Sweet Spot Review

It was November of 1966 when Brad Plunkett was commissioned by Warwick Electronics Inc. to make a substitute for the rather expensive Jennings 3 position Mid Range Boost (MRB) circuit. The circuit was needed after the company had bought out the Vox name due to it's association with our favorite band from Liverpool. The switch was going to be just one of many elements in need of replacement in the attempt to convert the Vox amplifier from tube to solid state. It was this very circuit that eventually lead to the creation of the effect we now know as the "Wah Wah".
... Click on the title for more

Rocktron Sweet Spot Review

Moog Cluster Flux Review

TRY THE MOOG CLUSTER FLUX IN NYC AT THE DELI’S FREE STOMP BOX EXHIBIT In scientific terms, flux is the rate of movement of some energy or matter. When something is in a state of flux, it is changing from one state to another. In audio terms, the Cluster Flux is modulating your audio signal in one or more ways at any given moment. In the broadest sense, the Cluster Flux is a chorus/flanger pedal. These two modes are selectable via a rocker switch labeled “range”. It is in fact setting a shorter or longer delay line, .6 to 10 ms for flange, 5 to 50 ms for chorus, based on the setting for the “time” control. Things start to get interesting when we move over to the modulation controls on the right. First we find 6 selectable LFO waveforms, which control how your delayed audio signal is modulated. Sine waves will create the most familiar chorus and flange effects, while the square and triangle waves create something a little more jagged/percussive, and with the random LFO things can just get weird! The pedal has a standard “rate” knob for the speed of your oscillation, but that’s just the beginning. […]... Click on the title for more

Moog Cluster Flux Review

TC Electronic MojoMojo Review

[caption id="attachment_25123" align="aligncenter" width="350"] https://www.jdoqocy.com/click-9280895-13714621?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zzounds.com%2Fitem--TCEMOJOMOJO&cjsku=99265[/caption] A few months ago, I had the pleasure of reviewing TC’s TonePrint line. Since then I kept thinking to myself... I really wish there were an easy go-to distortion that featured the same quality and no-brainerness. The TC tone gods have answered my prayers!... Click on the title for more

TC Electronic MojoMojo Review

1st NYC Stomp Box Exhibit: FREE PEDALS + FREE FOOD + $1 BEER

Deli readers with an obsession for Stomp Boxes… As you may have heard, this week we are organizing a Stomp Box Exhibit at CMJ – it will be Friday and Saturday at Ludlow Guitars and The Living Room on Ludlow St., Manhattan. PLEASE help us promote this event, and RSVP! We recommend you RSVP, because if the Googies’ Lounge gets too crowded (it’s quite small) we’ll give priority to those who RSVP’d. TRY + COMPARE PEDALS THROUGH THE CANS The pedals will be arranged on tables linked to amp emulators and headphones – if you bring your guitar you can test them with your own instrument, otherwise we’ll provide a six stringer… MANUFACTURER BOARDS AND MIXED BOARDS There will be booths with pedal by single manufacturers and other ones with mixed boards organized by effect type (Classic Distrortion, Edgy Distortion, Delay/Reverb and Modulation/Filter). STOMP BOX RAFFLE! Also, there will be a STOMP BOX RAFFLE! Here’s what you can win (we may get more prizes at the last minute). – 2 x Hardwire Pedalboards – Eventide Space – Various T-Rex pedals – Pigtronix Class A Boost pedal FREE FOOD + $1 BEERS! We’ll also have free gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches and $1 beers on […]... Click on the title for more

1st NYC Stomp Box Exhibit: FREE PEDALS + FREE FOOD + $1 BEER